What Martial Art Can Beat Muay Thai?

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Muay Thai is one of the deadliest martial arts ever. This is why it’s used by most successful MMA fighters. But it’s not the only powerful martial art, so what martial art can beat Muay Thai?

Here’s what I’ve learned in practicing several:

Krav Maga can beat Muay Thai. This is because Krav Maga leverages the most effective moves from other martial arts giving practitioners the skill to quickly subdue or incapacitate attackers, even those who have trained Muay Thai, which has a more limited range of techniques.

But in truth, most people don’t really consider Krav Maga to be a martial art.

Krav Maga is more of a self-defense system built on a variety of techniques from different martial arts. But it does not have a spiritual component or philosophy other than immobilizing your opponent as quickly as possible by any means necessary.

A Krav Maga fighter would exploit Muay Thai techniques and others drawn from many sources to crush an MT fighter.

Legendary martial artist Bruce Lee thought that the ideal martial art should have transcended the constraints of tradition:

One that’s not concerned with merely repeating patterns in a particular style, but rather one that’s embracing all that’s effective in other styles. Krav Maga is a modern reflection of the ideal that Mr. Lee taught. It’s about results, not some fancy and graceful moves.

In this article, we’ll explore themes around what makes MT dangerous, its weaknesses, and similar riveting themes.

Let the fun begin…

What are Muay Thai’s weaknesses?

Muay Thai’s stance of holding the hands high in front of one’s face, like a boxer, with the legs apart with one slightly in front of the other can be a weakness as it leaves the lower extremities of the body unprotected, and it can be easy to unbalance the person.

The stance leaves one open to attacks in a street fight, the boxing element is not well-developed, and the extreme conditioning can be a magnet for those looking for trouble.

Let’s check this out.

Inadequate Stance

You’re trained to hold your hands high and outward in front of your face! This leaves your body vulnerable to body shots and kicks.

In a street fight, a swift opponent can easily kick you in the side or IT band on the front leg or sweep under your arms for a takedown.

Inadequate Boxing

Muay Thai is often called Thai boxing.

The truth is that you’d need to complement the boxing you’d learn with Western boxing if you want to be lethal and ready for the streets because what you’d learn in MT is not in-depth.

Extreme Conditioning

The third point we’ll look at is a “strength” that’s also a weakness. Muay Thai arguably has the most grueling drills. You can see that most MT fighters are ripped.

And when a person looks badass, they’re more likely to get challenged by people who like the idea of beating someone who looks tough.

No Grappling

Another vital point is that apart from clinches and sweeps, there’s no grappling in MT. This makes it a tad inadequate for the streets because, as you know, real fights are often a combo of striking and grappling.

If a Muay Thai fighter were to fight a swift and skilled grappler, the MT fighter might be in over their head.

All martial arts have their pros and cons, and Muay Thai is no exception. In a recent article of mine, I shared some of its pros and cons.

Fitness, it can be learned fast, it’s superb for self-defense are some of its pros. Check out the article for the full lowdown.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Why is Muay Thai so dangerous?

Muay Thai is dangerous because 8 parts of the body can be leveraged to crush opponents, including head kicks and elbow strikes to the face with a no-holds-barred approach. The fighters are incredibly conditioned and swift, and they are using virtually their whole body as a weapon.

Before we go on, it’s vital to say that if you won’t be competing, your training program and fights may not be intense.

So, you’ve got nothing to fear. But, if you’d be competing, brace yourself up; it’s not for the faint-hearted. The training sessions can be grueling, and truth be told, you’d get hit a lot.

That’s the truth.

At least when you’re just starting. Swinging punches, hard kicks to the guts, flying knee kicks, elbow strikes…are some of what makes MT deadly.

A few fighters have died while doing it.

Most fighters who do MT in Thailand, where it originated, started learning at the age of 7 or 8. And apart from the mastery of the techniques, they are also conditioned.

They are very strong and are taught to protect and block attacks and are also conditioned to take it! They are taught to lean into the fight.

Muay Thai vs. kickboxing: Which is better?

Muay Thai is better than kickboxing because they can not only leverage kicks and classic boxing punches but also elbow strikes, knee strikes, sweeps, and other kicks a kickboxer may be unfamiliar with and unable to defend.

In an even fight between 2 people who had trained the same length of time, it could be one “simple” weapon (such as an elbow strike) that could give one the winning edge.

The more options you have in a fight, the greater the odds that you could trounce your opponent.

In Muay Thai, you have 8 limbs, if you will, but only 4 in kickboxing.

It’s also good to note that while MT is one clearly defined art, kickboxing, on the other hand, is more general. It’s got many forms. Kickboxing is a general term.

While both Muay Thai and kickboxing are incredibly lethal striking arts, I’ve got my money on MT because using 2 of its moves, a skilled fighter could bring their opponent down.

I am talking about a combo of elbow and knee strikes.

When executed properly, they’re almost too deadly. This is just one example. But, this is what Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya use a lot.

There’s probably no one who can quickly rebound from a well-executed Muay Thai elbow strike.

The reality is that almost every move in MT can kill when employed with that motive in mind! The flying knee alone can crush an opponent. There are also sweeps.

Now, kickboxing is also deadly, and, in some schools, elbow and knee strikes are allowed. But, they are illegal at most.

Instead, you have to rely on powerful punches and kicks, which can be crushing! But, the reality is that Muay Thai offers a fighter a lot more.

What is the most common martial art in the UFC?

Wrestling is the most common martial art in the UFC. A large number of the best fighters in the UFC have a foundation in wrestling. It’s a grappling art that enables one to determine where the fight would be enacted and control one’s opponent.

It involves takedowns, positional control, and the ability to maneuver swiftly.

Wrestlers undergo intense drills that make them highly conditioned. So, they have the skills and power to easily take others down and keep them down while they resist being taken down.

It’s no accident that some of the greatest fighters in the UFC have a wrestling background. Khabib Nurmagomedov, Georges St Pierre, Jon Jones…

Wrestlers are awesome on the mat. It’s easy for them to transition into MMA because it favors having a good ground game.

Granted, they are not naturally hip to strikes and kicks, as both are not a part of wrestling. That’s why most UFC fighters know several martial arts.

But once a wrestler initiates a take-down, it can quickly be game over.

Most people know, for example, that once Khabib “the eagle” Nurmagomedov takes an opponent to the ground, the game is virtually over. It’s a testament to how powerful and effective having a wrestling base can be.

What’s the point in learning a martial art?

In a recent article, I shared some of the many benefits such as the ability to defend oneself, confidence, self-esteem, resilience, focus, and a lot more.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Which martial art is most powerful?

Krav Maga is the most powerful martial art if self-defense is the objective because it was designed to equip practitioners with the ability to subdue or incapacitate an opponent as quickly as possible with minimal harm to themselves.

But again, many would argue it’s not a true martial art, just a self-defense system.

Its power derives from the fact that it is an eclectic martial art that borrows and integrates effective techniques from other martial arts and sources.

It’s one of the martial arts that’s taught to NAVY SEALS (that’s saying something). Apart from the fact that it borrows proven killer techniques from other arts. It has a “by any means necessary” ethos.

What does that mean?

It means that all is fair game in Krav Maga. Kicking the groin, gouging the opponent’s eyes, hitting the heart, strikes to the temple or throat, elbow strikes…whatever works.

The only rule in Krav Maga is “you must survive.”

If someone’s trying to cripple or kill you, harmony, balance, or doing minimal harm to others are the last thing on your mind, right?

KM teaches practitioners to swiftly employ whatever is effective in defending themselves. In a sense, it’s the “real MMA.” There are no holds barred in KM.

Interesting.

But, can Krav Maga beat MMA? Luckily, that’s what I explored in a recent article of mine.

I explained why a Krav Maga fighter can beat an MMA practitioner! As tough as it is, MMA is constrained by some rules, while KM’s got no rules. In other words, anything goes.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

Conclusion

In the article, we checked out some of MT’s weaknesses.

But we also looked at why it is so dangerous, and we compared it to kickboxing to find out which one’s better. MT’s better because you have more weapons in your arsenal. 8:4.

We also looked at the most common martial art in the UFC, and we called it a day by exploring the most powerful martial art.

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